These Rams and Chargers mean the most to their franchises' success in the years ahead

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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff prior to a NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Says teammate Lamarcus Joyner of new Rams cornerback Marcus Peters: “You always hear people say, ‘This guy gambles a lot. “But what you don’t hear is how smart of a player he is.” (Photo by Michael Owen Baker)

Rams cornerback Marcus Peters has been fined $13,000 by the NFL for this crotch-grabbing touchdown celebration after a 50-yard interception return for a score in a victory over the Raiders Monday, Sept. 10, 2018 in Oakland. (AP Photo/John Hefti)

Wide receiver Keenan Allen and the Chargers hope to keep their competition at arm’s length in 2018, but their schedule will present several challenges. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

The play of rookie safety Derwin James in the season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs has the Chargers thrilled he dropped to their 17th overall pick in April’s NFL draft. (Harry How/Getty Images)

After picking up a fumble, the Chargers Melvin Ingram runs in for a touchdown in the second half at StubHub Center in Carson, CA on Sunday, November 19, 2017. The Chargers beat the Bills 54-24. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks was second to Rob Gronkowski among New England Patriots receivers last season with 65 catches, 1,082 yards and 7 touchdowns. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa might be on the sidelines in a baseball cap rather than a helmet when his team takes the field for the 2018 season opener Sunday against the Chiefs. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles Rams linebacker Samson Ebukam (50) sacks Arizona Cardinals quarterback Sam Bradford (9) along with teammate defensive tackle Aaron Donald (99) in the first half of a NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald with his kids after defeating the Arizona Cardinals 34-0 during a NFL football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) runs for a touchdown past Arizona Cardinals defensive back Patrick Peterson (21) in the first half of a NFL football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Rams running back Todd Gurley was overjoyed to learn he would not be playing in any of the team’s preseason games. “Some guys just like being out there to get a feel for it and to see, but not this guy,” he said Thursday. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers watches his defense on the field from the bench at Stubhub Center in Carson on Sunday, Sep. 9, 2018. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff (16) passes against the Arizona Cardinals in the first half of a NFL football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Sunday, September 16, 2018 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/SCNG)

Just two years after the NFL returned to Los Angeles following a 22-season hiatus, a city bursting at the seams with sports stars already boasts an enviable amount of starpower on the football field. The Rams spent the offseason building the league’s latest super team, while the Chargers continue to look like one of the most talented — albeit snakebitten — rosters in the NFL. Nowhere else in the league does this much talent reside within a city’s limits.

Both L.A. teams hope to ride that starpower all the way to the Super Bowl this season. But first, they’ll clash on Sunday at the Coliseum in the first meeting of Southern California-based NFL teams since 1994. The game will be a showcase of L.A. football talent unlike the city has seen in some time. That prospect got us thinking …

As Los Angeles readies to ascend to the apex of the NFL world again, who are the players most pivotal to the success of the Rams or Chargers over the next few seasons? Which young stars are crucial for the long haul? And which players maybe aren’t as vital to L.A.’s long-term football vision as you might think?

So with an eye on the future — and especially the stadium’s opening in 2020 — we ranked the top 10 most important NFL players in Los Angeles.

10. MARCUS PETERS, CB, RAMSThe Rams have a choice to make here, because Peters is set to play the fifth-year option of his contract in 2019 and soon will need a new deal, but really, it’s not much of a choice. Fellow cornerback Aqib Talib soon will be in the twilight of his career, and Peters is just entering his prime and can be a centerpiece of this defense for years. The main question about Peters, when the Rams acquired him in a trade, was about his volatile personality, but so far, so good, and Peters already has a pick-six touchdown.

9. KEENAN ALLEN, WR, CHARGERS

The NFL’s best route runner is an irreplaceable weapon in a high-flying offense. He’s not the flashiest wideout Los Angeles has to offer, but when healthy, there’s no question he’s the most reliable. After missing most of the 2015 and 2016 seasons, Allen surpassed the century mark in receptions in his debut campaign in L.A. Through two games this season, he’s already on pace to do it again. Throw in the fact he’s only 26 with a reasonable contract that pays him $11 million annually through 2020, and his presence becomes all the more important to the Chargers’ future plans on offense.

8. DERWIN JAMES, S, CHARGERS

He’s only played in two NFL games, but already, James looks like a star. To think that 16 other teams passed on him in last April’s draft only gets more absurd by the week. The rookie safety has two sacks in his first two weeks of regular-season action, as defensive coordinator Gus Bradley has deployed him all over the Chargers defense. It doesn’t feel like an overreaction to suggest that James could be one of the NFL’s best safeties in short order. He could also be the first Chargers star with no ties to San Diego.

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7. MELVIN INGRAM, EDGE, CHARGERS

The other half of the Chargers’ dominant pass-rushing duo might get more glory, but over the past three seasons, Ingram has 29 sacks and established himself as one of the more consistent edge rushers in the league. With the ability to move all along the defensive line, Ingram’s pass-rushing presence is crucial to Bradley’s defense. There’s a reason the Chargers handed him a huge contract, one that will keep their terrorizing edge duo together at least through the first season in the new stadium.

6. BRANDIN COOKS, WR, RAMS

Sean McVay is an offensive wizard, but every play-caller needs the proper pieces, and thus far, Cooks has been a perfect fit. Well-regarded for his speed and deep-ball skills, Cooks also has showed that he can run solid intermediate routes and catch balls in some traffic. It’s easy to see him teaming with Cooper Kupp as the Rams’ 1-2 punch at receiver well into the next decade. Cooks, who could be on his way to a 1,000-yard season, is under contract through 2023 and might turn out to be a bargain.

5. JOEY BOSA, DE, CHARGERS

A foot injury has kept him sidelined early on this season, but that doesn’t change Bosa’s status as the centerpiece of the Chargers’ talented defense. No pass rusher in NFL history had more sacks through 20 career games, and with Ingram across from him for the foreseeable future, there’s no reason to think that pace won’t continue. At 23, Bosa is already a generational talent, with an ever-growing toolbox of devastating pass-rush moves. The Chargers shouldn’t hesitate to lock him to a long-term, record-breaking deal when he’s eligible. He’s arguably the most vital young building block on their roster.

4. AARON DONALD, DT, RAMS

Doesn’t life seem a bit empty without contract holdouts to worry about? Probably not. Donald’s mood seems lighter this year, which probably has something to do with that $135 million deal he signed. It’s been a quiet start to this season for Donald, at least in a statistical sense, but he always will be the focal point of this defense and the constant target of double teams. Donald is consistent and durable, as hard of a worker as they come, and he’s a high-character teammate. The complete package.

3. TODD GURLEY, RB, RAMS

Sure, it’s a bit scary to commit $60 million to a running back these days, but Gurley is worth it, particularly in this offense. McVay said recently that Gurley is the most complete back he’s ever been around. Last season wasn’t a fluke. Gurley might not get to 2,000 yards from scrimmage this season, just because the Arizona game showed how intent defenses will be to stop him, but even in that game, he scored three touchdowns. Only an injury will prevent Gurley from remaining among the NFL’s elite running backs for years to come.

While we continue to wonder when the Chargers will draft their heir apparent at quarterback, Rivers continues to rack up eye-popping numbers, year after year. In each of the past five seasons, Rivers has thrown for at least 4,285 yards and 29 touchdowns. He hasn’t missed a start since 2006). Only a few quarterbacks across the league come close to matching that consistency, and all of them are shoe-ins for the Hall of Fame. The only reason Rivers doesn’t top this list is the uncertainty surrounding his future. The Chargers could, in theory, cut the 36-year-old loose after 2018. But something tells us it may still be a few years until they consider saying goodbye to the best quarterback in franchise history.

1. JARED GOFF, QB, RAMS

The question has shifted. No longer is it, “Is Goff good enough to be a starting quarterback in the NFL?” Now it’s, “Is Goff elite?” Stop and think how far Goff has come since the 2016 disaster, then think about how much more he might be able to improve, given that he’s just about to turn 24. This is the time for the Rams to win, with Goff still in the final two years of his rookie contract. Goff’s connection with McVay is the most important one on the team, and even though Gurley and Donald are dominant, this is Goff’s team.

Ryan Kartje is a sports features reporter, with a special focus on the NFL and college sports. He has worked for the Orange County Register since 2012, when he was hired as UCLA beat writer. His enterprise work on the rise and fall of the daily fantasy sports industry (http://www.ocregister.com/articles/industry-689093-fantasy-daily.html) was honored in 2015 with an Associated Press Sports Editors’ enterprise award in the highest circulation category. His writing has also been honored by the Football Writers Association of America and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Ryan worked for the Bloomington (Ind.) Herald-Times and Fox Sports Wisconsin, before moving out west to live by the beach and eat copious amounts of burritos.